IRVINE – The
Stanford University case where a young woman claimed she was raped by Brock Turner, an Olympic
hopeful, sent shockwaves through the nation.

Then
the judge sentenced Turner to six months in jail despite the fact prosecutors wanted
him sentenced to at least six years.

Attorney John
Manly of Irvine let his feelings known about the case in an opinion
piece recently published by the Orange County Register.

“The
California Legislature also has an important role to play in protecting victims
of campus sexual abuse,” Manly wrote. “Lawmakers surely must be taking notice
of all that has recently happened. But in addition to paying attention, they
need to take action.”

Manly
wants laws changed so rape victims also can file civil cases.

“Put simply, those persons
and institutions who facilitate child and adult sexual assault are almost never
held accountable criminally,” Manly told the Northern California Record. “Moreover,
criminal law imposes a jail sentence on the perpetrator but provides no way to
compensate the victim for the tremendous suffering both physical and emotional
they suffer as the result of a violent rape.”

Manly, a partner in the Irvine law firm of Manly, Stewart
& Finaldi, said the costs of sexual assault and adults are huge.

"Additionally, without the threat of civil liability, we have seen
that institutions will not address the issue of sexual assault seriously,”
Manly said. “For example, until it became clear that Roman Catholic Diocese were
facing financial ruin, they refused to seriously address the issue of child
molestation by clergy.”

Manly is a proponent for passing new, tough “social host” laws that give
victims the right to hold accountable fraternities, sororities and other
organizations that serve alcohol to minors and obviously intoxicated persons.

“If an institution
knowingly places a predator around his or her target population and they
assault someone it is fair, just and sound societal policy to hold that
institution both civilly and criminally liable,” Manly said.

Manly points out in
his op-ed that he U.S. Department of Justice has five open
Title IX sexual assault investigations ongoing against Stanford. According to
Michele Landis Dauber, a Stanford law professor, only one student in its
history has been expelled for sexual assault, he cites.

Manly said this is the perfect time
for a change in the law.

“Our
state should be a leader when it comes to these types of legal rights,” he
wrote. “As a society, we must recognize that the civil courts are sometimes the
only real opportunity for sexual assault victims to be heard – and to get true
justice.”

Want to get notified whenever we write about
U.S. Department of Justice
?

Next time we write about
U.S. Department of Justice,
we'll email you a link to the story. You may edit your settings or unsubscribe at any time.